CABE to head design review body for Games

The ODA confirmed on Tuesday that a design review body would be set up for the Games.

David Higgins revealed that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, CABE and the Greater London Authority had been in talks on the issue.

He said: "There have been discussions; in fact, this week there was a meeting on how to set up a panel."

The body is likely to be run by Joanna Averley, CABE deputy chief executive, and Ricky Burdett, the mayor's architectural adviser.

The move have been received warmly by the RIBA, which had been lobbying for an Olympic design champion. Jack Pringle, the institution's president, said: "Obviously, CABE and the DCMS have special links, and it is all about using them to ensure quality design."

The RIBA has also lobbied for an urban space commission in order to ensure high standards in the lower Lea Valley and the surrounding Thames Gateway.

The commission would have the same arm's length relationship with the GLA as the London Sustainable Development Commission and the London Housing Commission, which act as links between public and private sectors.

The idea of a commission was first floated in the RIBA's Capital Spaces document, produced in co-operation with CABE and English Heritage. However, London's success in bidding for the Olympics has made it more of a priority.

This week there was a meeting on how to set up a panel

David Higgins

The mayor's "100 Public Spaces" programme, which includes schemes in Victoria Embankment, Sloane Square and Gillette Square in Dalston, east London, has struggled to get off the ground since it was launched five years ago.

Keith Mills, the deputy chairman of London 2012, has set out a schedule of milestones. These include: